Lawn-mower.



PATENTED MAY 9, 1905.

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ATTORNEY No. 789,158. PATENTED MAY 9, 1905. s. P. LBRGH.

LAWN MOWER.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1905.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2,

WlTNESSE$ INVENTOR Z971 HM BYVZW M ATTORNEY UNrrnn STATES Patented May9, 1905.

PATENT @FFICE.

LAWN-MOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 789,158, dated May 9,1905.

Application filed January 30. 1905. $erial No. 243,251.

To all 1071 0111, it may concern:

Be it known that I, SAMUEL P. LEROII, a citizen of the United States,residing at Canton, in the county of Stark and State of Ohio, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Lawn-Mowers; and I dohereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings,making a partof this specification, and to the figures of referencemarked thereon, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view showing thedifferent parts properly assembled. Fig. 2 is a view showing the clutchmechanism and the different parts of the clutch detached. Fig. 3 is atransverse section showing the reel or clutch head removed. Fig. 1 is aView showing a portion of one of the side members and illustrating theshear-plate connected thereto.

The present invention has relation to lawnmowers; and it consists in thenovel arrangement hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out inthe claim.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 represents the side members of themower, which side members are held in parallel position in the usualmanner and to which side members is attached the handle-yoke 2, whichyoke is of the usual construction, to which is attached the handle 3,which handle is of the ordinary construction. In the side members 1 isjournaled the main or driving shaft 4, upon which driving-shaft areloosely mounted the traveling wheels 5, which traveling Wheels are ofthe usual construction. Upon each of the inner faces of the travelingwheels 5 is located the hub 6, which hub maybe formed integral with thetraveling wheels 5 and is provided with the clutched teeth 7. Upon theshaft 4 is securely attached the disk 8, which disk when properlylocated constitutes and forms a cover for the hub 6 and the clutch-teeth7. For the purpose of providing a means for attaching the disk to theshaft t said disk is provided with the hub-like extension 9, which hubis provided with a set-screw 10, which set-screw is for the purpose ofsecurely seating the hub upon the shaft 4, by which arrangement said huband disk 8 revolves with the shaft 4: and the wheels 5 when the clutchproper is connected. The hub 9 is provided with the lateral arms 11 and12, which arms receive the clutch-bolts 13, the inner ends of which arebeveled in one direction, so as to allow a backward rotation of thewheels 5 independent of the shaft 4, the teeth7 being beveled in such adirection that their faces will impart an endwise movement to theclutch-bolts 13 during the backward movement of the traveling wheels 5;but when the traveling wheels 5 move forward a rotary motion will beimparted to the disk 8, together with the shaft 4 and the differentparts attached thereto. For the purpose of holding the clutch-bolts 13in proper contact with the teeth 7 when the clutch is brought intoaction the springs 14 are provided, which springs are located betweenthe arms 12 and the disks 12, as illustrated in Fig. 2. The clutch-bolts13 are each provided with the lateral arms 15, and when it is desired tobring the clutch into action the arms 15 are seated in the recesses 16,formed in the arms 11; but when it is desired to throw the clutch out ofaction the clutch-bolts 13 are moved endwise and away from the teeth 7 asufficient distance to allow the arms 15 to be brought againsttheadjacent faces of the arms 11, and thereby hold the clutch-bolts 13 outof contact with the teeth 7.

Upon the shaft 4: is securely attached the gear-wheel 17, whichgear-wheel meshes with the gear-wheel 18, said gear-wheel being mountedupon the short shaft 19, and the gear-wheel 18 meshes with the pinion20, which pinion is securely attached to the reel shaft 21, whichreel-shaft is journaled in the bars 22, the inner ends of which arepivotally attached at their inner ends, one of said bars being connectedto the short shaft 19 and the other one to a similar shaft or boltlocated upon the opposite member 1. The object and purpose of pivotallyattaching the bars 22 is to provide a common center as between the bars22 and the gear-wheel 18, by which arrangement the reel-shaft 21 can bemoved to or from the shear-plate 23 without interfering saidshearing-blades.

with the mesh as between the gear-wheel 18 and the pinion 20.

Upon the reel-shaft 21 are mounted the spiders 24:, to the outer ends ofwhich are connected the cutter-blades 25, which cutterblades are curvedin such a manner that as they rotate with the shaft 21 they will producea shearing cut between said plates and the shear-plate, and for thepurpose of producing a better shear cut the cutter-blades 25 are givenpractically a curve equal to onehalf of a circle described by therevolution of For the purpose of allowing the bars 22 to be turned upontheir pivotal points they are provided with the slots 26, through whichslots are passed clampingbolts 27. After the bars 22 have been properlyadjusted with reference to the sh ear-plate 23 the clamping-bolts 27 aretightened, thereby holding the reel proper in the desired adjustment.the side members 1 by means of the clam pingbolts 28. It will beunderstood that owing to the wear of the shear-blade 23 and thecutting-blades 25, and also to compensate for the adjustment of thecutting-reel proper, the angularity of the shear-plate 23 should bechanged from time to time, and in order to provide for differentangularities of the shearplate the set-screws 29 and 30 are provided,said set-screws located upon opposite sides of the clamping-bolts 28 andare so located for the purpose of changing the contact-points of theupper face of the shear-plate 23.

For the purpose of supporting the front or forward portion of the frameproper the for- The shear-plate 23 is connected to '3 ward portions ofthe side members 1 are provided with the small caster-wheels 31, whichcaster-Wheels are journaled upon suitable studbolts 32, secured to theadjustable bars 33,'

which bars are held at the desired point of adjustment by means of theclamping-bolts 34. It will be understood that acaster and its parts areto be connected to each side member 1 of the frame.

Having fully described myinvention, whatI claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is In a lawn-mower, the combination with aframe, consisting of side members, a main shaft journaled in the sidemembers of the frame, traveling wheels loosely mounted upon the shaft,clutches fixed to the main shaft and adapted for engagement with thetraveling wheels, a train of gear-wheels, pivoted bars having journaledto their free ends a reelshaft, said bars pivoted concentrically withone of the wheels of the train, cutter-blades rotatable with thereel-shaft, a cutter-bar adjustably secured to the side members of theframe, means for holding the cutter-bar in fixed adjustment and meansfor holding the bars carrying the reel-shaft in fixed adjustment to orfrom the cutter-bar, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above 1 have hereunto subscribed my namein the presence of two witnesses.

- SAMUEL P. LERCH. Witnesses:

F. W. BOND, Jos. J. HOSLER.

